The new academic year was spoiled by several challenges on Wednesday in the Eastern Cape from flooded rivers, slippery roads, the threat of taxi violence, pit toilets and scholar transport hiccups robbing them of a successful first day.
In Port St Johns, where there have been six fatal shootings and several injuries since the outbreak of violence last week, the education department’s OR Tambo coastal district director, Dr Bongi Peyana, issued a notice saying children should not come to school for the time being.
In other rural schools, many pupils were stuck on the other side of swollen, dangerous rivers as heavy downpours hit.
The provincial chairperson of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa), Loyiso Mbinda, said it was embarrassing that so many rural pupils were still disadvantaged by the weather.
Some learners were left stranded as scholar transport did not turn up in some areas, allegedly because operators had not yet received their contracts for the year.
Opposition parties have also criticised the Eastern Cape Department of Education for its plans to remove pit latrine toilets from only 50 of the province’s 427 rural schools.
As the school year started on Wednesday, many young learners in rural schools found themselves having to risk falling into pit toilets or using nearby bushes to relieve themselves.
The province’s Department of Education said it had set a target of removing pit toilets at 50 schools this financial year.
Education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said they usually do projections after getting the budget for the year.
“The 50 is the target because we are basing it on the projected finances that we are going to get from the National Treasury,” said Mtima.
In response to a question in the provincial legislature from the DA’s Horatio Hendricks, the department said 113,041 pupils from 427 schools still had to use pit toilets, based on enrolment figures for 2023.
Hendricks said: “Learners are facing the very real choice of having to relieve themselves in nearby bushes where they are extremely vulnerable to sexual predators as well as snakes, or to make use of toilets that could cost them their lives or, at the very least, make them violently ill.”
He said pit toilets have proven to be death traps, especially for younger learners.
“Seats for pit toilets are often not sized for them, and they can easily fall through into the pits below. Of the 427 schools, 141 are primary schools,” Hendricks said.
UDM provincial secretary Nkosinathi Ndlodaka also criticised the government for the backlog in eradicating pit toilets.
Pictured above: Pit toilets.
Image source: Supplied
